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Cherries

The Cherry season in Australia is short. They come into season around November and are gone by the end of February. Perhaps this is why the Cherry season is so celebrated. At Sydney Markets, they kick off the Cherry Season with a wonderful gala for charity where they sell their premier box of Cherries. For others, the appearance of bountiful Aussie Cherries on their local Greengrocers shelves signifies the fast approaching festive season. Whichever way you look at it, there is something special and a little exciting about the arrival of each season’s supply of Australian Cherries.

There are two main types of Cherries, Sweet and Sour. Around the world there is something like 900 different varieties of sweet and anther 300 different varieties of sour. In Australia we focus on around 20 specific varieties.

So remember, if you are not sure about the Cherries you are buying ask your local greengrocer. You should also note that if you are ever buying Cherries at different times of the year, they are imported from other parts of the world.

The Cherry boasts some fun facts –

The cherry was first introduced to England by King Henry V111 after he had tasted them in Flanders.

The first historical acknowledgement of the Cherry seems to have been in a region that is now Turkey back in 72BC.

In Australia Cherries are grown everywhere except the Northern Territory, although the major growing regions are NSW, VIC, SA and TAS.

Scientists are exploring the concept of the Cherry as a super-food. If you look at their nutritional make up the cherry certainly stacks up.

Per 100g of fresh sweet cherry you will enjoy:

263kj of Energy or 63 calories
16g of Carbohydrate
0.2g of fat
1.1g of protein

Your cherries are also a rich source of anti oxidants.

Here’s a couple of useful tips:

A good cherry will be plump with a shiny skin. When buying look for cherries with their green stems still attached.

Don’t leave your cherries for too long after you buy them. They cease to ripen after being picked so they are best consumed quickly and should definitely be all gone four days after purchase.